To help combat the growing issue of sleep deprivation in youth, the Regional Health Authority is promoting new movement guidelines for kids.

For optimal health benefits in children and youth ages 5-13, between nine to 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep is required every night, a Southern Health Sante Sud (SHSS) release says. For youth ages 14-17, anywhere between eight to 10 hours is needed.

SHSS healthy living facilitator Maureen Owens says in recent decades children's nightly sleep has decreased by about 30-60 minutes each night. She says health professionals are no longer looking at just exercise in achieving ideal health, but also sedentary behaviour and sleep patterns.

"We want children to be healthy, and we know that kids are not necessarily getting enough sleep," Owens says. "Increased screen time and packed schedules mean that kids are not getting consistent sleep, or they're getting poor sleep."

Sufficient daily exercise remains an important factor in creating healthy sleep patterns, Owens says. Kids who tire themselves out during the day by running around lots sleep better at night, and in turn those who sleep well have energy to run around, she explains. But the reverse is also true: kids who don't move around enough to be tired, may be too tired to move.

"It's important to get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day," she says. "It's also important to get a variety of physical activity, not just structured time where you're going to sports."

"Kids need to be able to move around during unstructured time throughout the day."

Aside from proper exercise, Owens suggests limiting screen time to no more than two hours daily, and setting consistent bed times -- and wake up times -- to help ensure healthy rest patterns for children. She adds good sleep patterns can make kids more likely to be active and perform better in school.

To check out the full movement guidelines, click here.